High ph won't move

[bobwobbly]

Hey bro, for what it's worth I over did it with lime once and had similar run-off 7.1-7.2, I had a bit of iron def too, I used lemon juice to pH my water down low, sometimes to 5.6-5.8. This helped a lot, and the pH always slowly rises back up but that is a good thing, means everything is available at different points. Foliar feeding is always a good option if needed but not sure about chemical nutes I use organics.

Good luck bro,

Hey Dazedandsuperconfuzed, thanks for calling by.

Good to hear from someone who's had similar problems and really good to know all's not lost!!

Nice call on the lemon juice and the low feed ph makes good sense too.

I wanted to stay away from chems too but if aluminium sulphate will pull the ph down, gonna have to bite the bullet. Gonna be really gentle with her though, she's had a rough few days.

Thanks again for calling by bro, input truly appreciated

Bob

 

[bobwobbly]

You're very welcome. Yes, you can foliar feed them in the mean time. For future reference you might want to contact the soil manufacturer and find out if they are adding lime. Also suggest they publish that on their web site and on the bag so people are aware.

Thanks for the info Muddy,

Future grows will be with a soil that has been tried and tested...we live and learn!!

I tested the soil as you suggested, 6.5 going in and 6.4 coming out so it looks like I've been heavy handed with the lime.

I've found some aluminium sulphate (hydranger colourant) so I'll read up on anything I can find and take it nice and slow and keep the auld fingers crossed

Can't thank you enough Muddy

Bob

 

[Muddy]

Glad I could help. Had you not added the additional lime I think that soil would have been fine. The pH right out of the bag is were we like it to be.

On the Aluminum Sulfate, what I've used has been 17%. I used it in some Pro Mix soil less mix, which is 7.0 right out of the bag. Through a lot of experimentation I found that 4 grams per gallon of soil mix was the right amount for that mix. It may vary with your mix, so I would go easy with it. It is water soluble so can be mixed with water and fed to the plants that way.

 

[bobwobbly]

Glad I could help. Had you not added the additional lime I think that soil would have been fine. The pH right out of the bag is were we like it to be.

On the Aluminum Sulfate, what I've used has been 17%. I used it in some Pro Mix soil less mix, which is 7.0 right out of the bag. Through a lot of experimentation I found that 4 grams per gallon of soil mix was the right amount for that mix. It may vary with your mix, so I would go easy with it. It is water soluble so can be mixed with water and fed to the plants that way.

Muddy, you are a Gentleman of the highest order and I thank you once again.

Kicking myself for the silly mistakes, I used a soil probe initially when mixing the soil, I will not be using a soil probe again lol. Also I didn't allow time for the lime to activate in the mix and planted the same day. The joys of being a noob!! On the positive side, I can see where I've gone wrong and have learned so much in 3 weeks it's unbelievable.

I will, as you suggest, go easy with the aluminium sulphate. The product I'm using is Vitax Hydrangea Colourant which is 90% aluminium sulphate and 6.7% ferrous sulphate which I suppose won't be a bad thing for the Iron def.

I'll keep this thread updated with inputs and results incase it can be of use to anyone in the future.

Cheers Muddy

Bob

 

[Dazed]

Good luck Bob,

 

[bobwobbly]

Good luck Bob,

Good wishes received with thanks bro...I'll keep everyone in the loop and let you know how the little lady is doing

Bob

 

[bobwobbly]

Update Day 22

4 Days after the flush, she's starting to perk up but still showing signs of the deficiency. Might give her a light dose of aluminium sulphate tomorrow.

 

[Muddy]

Muddy, you are a Gentleman of the highest order and I thank you once again.

Kicking myself for the silly mistakes, I used a soil probe initially when mixing the soil, I will not be using a soil probe again lol. Also I didn't allow time for the lime to activate in the mix and planted the same day. The joys of being a noob!! On the positive side, I can see where I've gone wrong and have learned so much in 3 weeks it's unbelievable.

I will, as you suggest, go easy with the aluminium sulphate. The product I'm using is Vitax Hydrangea Colourant which is 90% aluminium sulphate and 6.7% ferrous sulphate which I suppose won't be a bad thing for the Iron def.

I'll keep this thread updated with inputs and results incase it can be of use to anyone in the future.

Cheers Muddy

Bob

Thanks, you're very welcome. Wow, 90% AS. I can't even wager a guess on how much to use. Just go very easy with it is all I can recommend. A good soil probe can be a very useful tool but a bad one can be very misleading. In my experience I don't trust the cheap ones. The only one I use and recommend is the Control Wizard Accurate 8. Yes, it takes lime a good 2-3 weeks before it becomes effective.

 

[bobwobbly]

Thanks, you're very welcome. Wow, 90% AS. I can't even wager a guess on how much to use. Just go very easy with it is all I can recommend. A good soil probe can be a very useful tool but a bad one can be very misleading. In my experience I don't trust the cheap ones. The only one I use and recommend is the Control Wizard Accurate 8. Yes, it takes lime a good 2-3 weeks before it becomes effective.

Hey Muddy,

I'm presuming (which is never a good thing!!) that the 90% AS is quantity in the product and not the purity, couldn't find specifics on the safety data sheet.

I'm gonna go about half the recommended dosage using 5gms in 1l water for a 10l airpot. I'll then lie awake and worry all night!!

I'll update again tomorrow.

Cheers

Bob

 

[bobwobbly]

Day 23


Added 5gms of aluminium sulphate and 2ml grow to 1l tap water (usually 7.9 - 8 ph). Didn't test before feeding but run off ph came back at 4.7, at which point I thought I'd killed her!! I've also added a heater to the cab as I've been seeing big temperature fluctuations over the last week.

She's looking as well as I've seen her for a while today, I'll watch her closely for the next couple of days and update results at next feeding